Miguel: In English, here are six stories from Democracy Now! that I wanted to highlight.

CIA Creates Front Groups to Fly Suspects Around the WorldThe New York Times is reporting today that the CIA has created a new generation of shell companies to make it easier for the Bush administration to secretly fly suspects around the world. The paper focuses on the North Carolina based firm Aero Contractors which was founded by a CIA officer who once served as chief pilot for Air America - a Cold War era CIA owned airline. According to flight records Aero Contractors has repeatedly landed at Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Libya. The CIA appears to own 26 planes all of which are owned by a web of seven shell corporations that appear to have no employees. The planes are then operated by real companies that are either controlled by or tied to the CIA. In addition to Aero Contractors, the Times identified two Florida companies as likely CIA front companies: Pegasus Technologies and Tepper Aviation.

ACLU to Get More Prisoner Abuse DocsA federal judge has ordered the Pentagon to turn over dozens of photographs and four movies depicting abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU's Executive Director Anthony Romero said "These images may be ugly and shocking, but they depict how the torture was more than the actions of a few rogue soldiers." The ACLU is calling for the appointment of an outside special counsel to investigate the torture and abuse of prisoners. The court order came in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the ACLU, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Amnesty Defends ‘Gulag’ LabelMeanwhile, the head of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, called on the United States to open its detention centers at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere to human rights investigators if it wants to dispute allegations of abuse. Khan was responding to the Bush administration's dismissal of the group's allegation that the US was running a gulag and she defended the use of that word, gulag, in particular. Here is Irene Khan, speaking yesterday: "What we wanted to do is to send a strong message that Guantanamo, Bagram and this sort of network of prison, detention centres that have been created as part of this war on terror is actually undermining human rights in a dramatic way, can only evoke some of the worst features of human rights scandals of the past." That was Irene Khan, the head of Amnesty International.

U.S. Threatens to Withhold $10 Million in Aid to Kenya Over ICCThe Bush administration is threatening to withhold $10 million in military aid to Kenya if the country does not agree to exempt Americans from prosecution at the International Criminal Court. The U.S. wants Kenya to sign a pledge that it would never hand over any American accused of war crimes to the World Court without U.S. approval. Kenyan politicians have accused the U.S. of blackmailing the country. The United States has signed so-called bilateral non-surrender agreements with 100 countries.

Demonstrators Interrupt Rice Speech in San FranciscoMeanwhile demonstrators from Global Exchange and Code Pink interrupted a speech by Rice in San Francisco on Friday. The protesters stood up during the event and started screaming "Stop the torture. Stop the killing. U.S. out of Iraq." The protesters were wearing black hoods and cloaks in an attempt to recreate the most famous image of the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal. The protesters were arrested and removed from the building.

Wages Fall But Number of Millionaire Homes SoarsNew studies show that the number of households in the country with a net worth of one million dollars rose by about 20 percent last year. There are now 7.5 million so-called millionaire households in the country. Meanwhile the Economic Policy Institute is reporting that real wages for non-management employees are falling at their fastest rate in 14 years. The last time salaries fell this steeply was at the start of 1991.

Yes, we always try to give The Laura Flanders Show its own entry. That's because members love this show regardless of whether they identify with the Democratic Party, the Green Party, another third party, or just identify "left." For three hours on Saturday and three hours on Sunday, radio veteran, journalist (FAIR, The Nation, TomPaine.com) and author, Flanders anchors a program that's diversity boggles the mind. (Folding Star has written of what you can learn about someone from the book shelves. I'm picturing Flander's bookshelves filled and overflowing with fiction and nonfiction of every kind.)

If you haven't checked out The Laura Flanders Show, here's a description from the show's "about page" at Air America's web site.

The Laura Flanders Show cuts through the news and events of the week to find out how the actions of our politicians affect us and asks, what can we do to make a change? Past guests include Hugh Masekela, Danny Glover, Jimmy Breslin, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Isabel Allende, Eve Ensler, Nile Rodgers and Angelique Kidjo. Her book BUSHWOMEN; Tales of a Cynical Species, which came out in paperback in April 2005 was a New York Times Bestseller.

To that I'll add that the only program on which I've heard community favorite Matthew Rothschild (editor of The Progressive) was The Laura Flanders Show. (Note, not all Air America programs feature guests regularly. Note also, that when the vanishing of Lizz Winstead happened, my need to listen to Air America nonstop vanished as well. I'll listenIf you are in an area, one of sixty-four, that has a station providing Air America programming and you don't have satellite radio (XM Satellite Radio - ch. 167Sirius Satellite Radio - ch. 144), remember that you can listen to The Laura Flanders Show and other Air America programming online via real player or windows media player.

The weekend Air America radio broadcasts have started. So What Else Is News? is currently on. Here, from the Air America home page, is the lineup for Marty Kaplan's show and the others this weekend.

So What Else Is News?- Saturday 3pm-5pm with host Marty KaplanThe Wives of Watergate. Washington Post reporter Sally Quinn, wife of Post editor Ben Bradlee, tells Marty Kaplan what the wives did and didn't know about the identity of Deep Throat. Plus, the rock band OK Go tries to overcome the "sophomore slump," one year after literally writing the book on how to be a political band.

Ring of Fire- Saturday 5pm-7pm w/ Mike Papantonio & Robert Kennedy, JrMike Papantonio talks with Mike Elsner of the Motley-Rice law firm about the Bush administration's attempts to block a lawsuit against a U.S.-based Saudi bank, which allegedly financed suicide bombers in Israel. Then, Bobby Kennedy talks with James Howard Kunstler, author of"The Long Emergency," about what happens when the oil runs out.The "good" terrorist: Will the Bush Justice Department prosecute or protect Republican ally and anti-Castro terrorist Luis Posada Carriles? Mike discusses with Peter Kornbluh, author of "The Posada File."

Ecotalk - Sunday 7am-8am with host Betsy RosenbergBetsy gives first hand accounts and interviews directly from the The United Nations World Environment Day in San Francisco. She covers as many of the 300 events as possible, including a private dinner with Al Gore. Plus, insider sources say the US EPA is on order from high to not participate in/attend the historic summit. Betsy discusses.

Liberal Arts- Sunday 1pm-2pm with host Katherine Lanpher Guests for this special one-hour special program include author Jonathan Lethem, stage star, playwright and novelist Eric Bogosian, and musician Willie Nile. The show was taped in front of a live audience at the Housing Works Books Cafe in Soho, New York City.

On The Real- Sunday 11pm-1am with Chuck D and Gia GarelDavid Zirin's columns are a unique fusion of sports writing and socio-political observation. Chuck D and Gia Garel talk to him about his views and his new book "What's my Name Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States."

Interviews and other court records show that he was flown, ankles or wrists cuffed, in a private jet from Minneapolis to Nairobi, with fuel stops in Reykjavik and Rome. American officials do not travel to Somalia - or negotiate with the local Puntland authorities - so they handed him over in Nairobi to RMI Security, a Kenyan concern that, under United States government contract, was supposed to arrange his acceptance.He and his guards flew as planned to an airstrip in Puntland, but soon reboarded the plane with a handwritten document from an unidentified official that said, "Not having needed lawful documents we have rejected to except" him. It was signed "Thanks."Now the legal tug of war is over separate Supreme Court precedent that forbids detention beyond six months unless deportation is imminent or there is a specific danger in release. The immigration service, in asking the appeals court to block Mr. Jama's release, argued that the start of the six-month period should be Jan. 12, the date of the Supreme Court's decision on his suit.

The above is from Jodi Wilgoren's "Refugees in Limbo: Ordered Out of U.S., but With Nowhere to Go" in this morning's New York Times. The article's well written an it's an important topic.You can also see (if you subscribe to The Nation), Edwidge Danticat's "A Crime to Dream."You have to subscribe to read it online. Here's an excerpt:

Here's an excerpt from Danticat's article:

Every year, thousands of women like Alvarado arrive in the United States seeking refuge from unimaginable horrors. However, a large percentage of them are interdicted on the high seas or turned away at borders and airports and are essentially handed back to their torturers. Many of those who are "lucky" enough to get past the airport inspectors or border patrols are deported after hasty hearings or are imprisoned for months, and sometimes years, at a time.Rose Thermitus was only 16 when she and 200 other Haitians landed in Key Biscayne, Miami, on October 29, 2002. Coinciding with the late-afternoon news hour, her arrival was captured live on national television, her desperate effort to wade ashore witnessed by millions of viewers. Rose and her older brother Franquelyn had boarded a boat in the north of Haiti after their home was burned down. Their parents had disappeared and are presumed dead. Nevertheless, both Rose's and Franquelyn's asylum requests were denied, and after ten months in detention Franquelyn was returned to Haiti. Because of a Haitian government policy against issuing travel documents to minors without parental consent, Rose could not be deported. However, she was held in a local hotel for thirteen months. Rose was finally paroled on January 7, 2004, a few months shy of her eighteenth birthday. She is subject to deportation now that she is 18.

For weeks, sightings of Taliban fighters were being reported all over the rugged mountains here. But when Staff Sgt. Patrick Brannan and his team of scouts drove into a nearby village to investigate a complaint of a beating, they had no idea that they were stumbling into the biggest battle of their lives. On May 3, joined by 10 local policemen and an interpreter, the scouts turned up at a kind of Taliban convention - of some 60 to 80 fighters - and were greeted by rockets and gunfire. The sergeant called for reinforcements and was told to keep the Taliban engaged until they arrived. "I've only got six men," he remembers saying.For the next two and a half hours, he and his small squad, who had a year of experience in Iraq, cut off a Taliban escape. Nearly 40 Taliban and one Afghan policeman were killed. "It's not supposed to be like that here," said Capt. Mike Adamski, a battalion intelligence officer. "It's the hardest fight I saw, even after Iraq."

Amnesty has fired right back, pointing out that the administration often cites its reports when that suits its purposes. "If our reports are so 'absurd,' why did the administration repeatedly cite our findings about Saddam Hussein before the Iraq war?" wrote William F. Schultz, executive director of the group's United States branch, in a letter to the editor being published Saturday in The New York Times. "Why does it welcome our criticisms of Cuba, China and North Korea? And why does it cite our research in its own annual human rights reports?"In a telephone interview on Friday, Ms. Gilmore, the second-ranking official in Amnesty, said "gulag" was not meant as a literal description of Guantánamo but was emblematic of the sense of injustice and lack of due process surrounding the prison."The issue of the gulag is about policies and practices," she said. "You put people beyond the reach of law, you locate them in facilities where families can't access them, you deny them access to legal representation, you attempt to prevent judicial review."[. . .]The International Committee of the Red Cross, the F.B.I. and United States courts have criticized the detention policies at Guantánamo Bay, she said. In addition, Ms. Gilmore said, the detention policy has been expanded to apply to jails in countries like Egypt, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The creation of an archipelago of detention centers, she said, was another factor in the choice of the term gulag.

Reminder, Bob Somerby plans to have a Saturday Daily Howler that will touch on the topic of Daniel Okrent. Look for it later today.

A military inquiry has found that guards or interrogators at the Guantánamo Bay detention center in Cuba kicked, stepped on and splashed urine on the Koran, in some cases intentionally but in others by accident, the Pentagon said on Friday.The splashing of urine was among the cases described as inadvertent. It was said to have occurred when a guard urinated near an air vent and the wind blew his urine through the vent into a detainee's cell. The detainee was given a fresh uniform and a new Koran, and the guard was reprimanded and assigned to guard duty that kept him from contact with detainees for the remainder of his time at Guantánamo, according to the military inquiry.The investigation into allegations that the Koran had been mishandled also found that in one instance detainees' Korans were wet because guards on the night shift had thrown water balloons on the cellblock.In another case, a two-word obscenity was written in English on the inside cover of a Koran, but investigators could not determine whether a guard or detainee had written it. [. . .]General Hood said last week that there was no credible evidence to substantiate the claim that a Koran had ever been flushed down a toilet at the prison.The final report released on Friday said that four of the five incidents took place after January 2003, after written procedures governing the handling of the Koran had been put in place. That contradicted an account provided last Thursday by General Hood, who was asked directly whether all five of the incidents had taken place before January 2003, and replied: "Not all of them. One of them occurred since then."

OPINION: The article didn't cause anything. The article utilized a source that no longer stands by a remark. Rioting was caused by our actions and a climate we've created. The Operation Happy Talkers (not a slap down at Schmitt, I'm thinking of elected officials and certainly lackies serving under the Bully Boy) have spun so well that attitudes towards the United State are apparently unknown to many (including Fox "News" watchers) in this country. Whether you personally believe a Koran was flushed or wasn't flushed, the report itself didn't cause rioting.The actions of our government did. Reality is reality. The reality is a source burned Newsweek.The reality is that we've enflamed tensions. The reality is that Newsweek, though it might wish it were, is not the magazine of the world, eagerly thumbed through and discussed from country to country. Newsweek was sloppy about a story. Not in running the article but in not backing it up with other comments in the public record (chiefly from human rights organizations and reports from others countries). They didn't cause rioting. I disagree with Schmitt's statement (which appears in passing and may not be intended as a slap down -- Schmitt may see it -- without a judgement of "good" or "bad" -- as evidence of the power of the press -- being part of the press, he would be inclined to see that). But since anything that goes up at this site on Newsweek leads to e-mails asking me to weigh in, consider that "weighing in" pre-emptively.

The article's worth reading. Much more so than David Johnston's embarrassing "Behind Deep Throat's Clandestine Ways, a Cloak-and-Dagger Past" which manages to come off across as not only a bad attempt at writing an adventure yarn for young boys, but also manages to avoid the issue of the presidential pardon (by Reagan) for Mark Felt. At this late date, the article's useless.

That's compounded by whomever wrote the headline which would suggest that black bag searches carried out under Felt's leadership would be noted ("clandestine," "cloak-and-dagger").But it's useless and foolish. Johnston's article reads like it was heavily edited. The ending comes abruptly. So David Johnston may not have embarrased himself, "David Johnston" may have. (To indicate that someone other than reporter Johnston altered and shaped what appears in print.)

But it's a waste of time for the Times to carry such nonsense. Though the mainstream pass has exempted themselves thus far from exploring exactly what actions led Felt to require a presidential pardon, the issue is emerging and it will continue to do so. The closest modern day equivalent to Felt may be John Ashcroft. Whether or not this means "a lot of people are going to have egg on their face" as Lloyd e-mailed about those hailing Felt as a "genuine hero" is something others will have to decide.

Lloyd also noted what he saw as a knee jerk reaction on the part of some of on the left to praise Felt because the right was attacking him. If it is a knee jerk reaction, as Lloyd feels, it's a dangerous reaction and people should examine what they know or think they know. (Lucy also alludes to a knee jerk reaction. Read on.)

If they're coming out in support of secret searches, illegal ones (hence the required presidential pardon by Reagan), then they need to clarify that. Felt is no hero. His actions at the FBI (and John Dean points out that he was running the show in the final days of Hoover as well as when Hoover was replaced) are shameful and embarrassing to the country. (Reminder, John Dean will be a guest on CBS's Face the Nationtomorrow morning.)

Whether for personal reasons or a concern over where the country was headed under Nixon, Felt assisted in some form with Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's Watergate coverage. Regardless of the reason, that doesn't alter the fact that his days at the FBI can best be characterized as abusive and illegal. And that goes beyond merely my opinion, it's also the legal opinion. Being Deep Throat or a part of "Deep Throat" doesn't alter that. Nor did a presidential pardon erase Felt's actions, it merely prevented him from being held legally accountable.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the relationship between Muslims and law enforcement agents has been predictably fragile. The two groups have engaged in a delicate dance, balancing self-interest with political calculation.People on both sides acknowledge a need for meaningful cooperation. But the relationship has frayed - and the voice of dissent among Muslims grown more audible - as a result of a series of criminal cases that have raised questions about the methods used by authorities in their fight against terrorism.The government's focus on undercover sting operations and the recruitment of a network of Muslim informers has provoked the sharpest criticism. The most recent sting, which produced arrests last week in New York and Florida, has further stirred debate, although many details of the investigation, which led to charges that two American Muslim men conspired to aid Al Qaeda, remain unknown.But, of late, perhaps no case has caused more ire than that of two teenage Muslim girls who were detained on immigration violations in March after the F.B.I. became concerned that they might be planning to become suicide bombers. After six weeks in detention the girls were quietly released, and officials have declined to comment on the case.To more distant observers, these cases offer varying degrees of intrigue. But among Arab-Americans, they have become something of local lore, their details endlessly picked over and debated, their impact on public opinion about Muslims a source of dread.

Lucy: What has gone down in all the cases is shameful and far from what we like to think of as what our country is supposed to be about or represent. Searching out details on Felt has meant looking online and to Democracy Now[!] for information. Everything I've read indicates he is undeserving on the shine on. But apparently, Pat Buchanan and others' attacks on Felt means we're supposed to defend Felt. I'm not going to. COINTELPRO is indefensible. My parents are lifelong Democrats and were in college during this period. I spoke to my dad about Felt and he said he's disgusted to hear members of the press congratulate themselves and praise Felt as a hero. He said any lesson learned in the wake of the revelations has been forgotten and that goes along way to explaining how Bully Boy's been able to get away with so much. I agree that your average 'hero' doesn't require a presidential pardon. I also agree that a man who keeps the underwear of a woman, gained through an illegal entry into her residence, is far from a hero and just plain scummy and sleazy.

I'm not interested in hearing Sally Quinn's reflections on Watergate. (The "party reporter" was hardly in the know at the time.) But if anyone can make an interview with Quinn of interest, it's probably Marty Kaplan. Which is said to remind everyone of his program So What Else Is News? which airs later today on Air America Radio (three to five p.m. eastern time):

TODAY'S BIG STORY: Today, an energized and organized group of activists meet on the UCLA campus. Their mission: to draw up a battle plan for unionizing the destroyer of our economy, the biggest corporate welfare queen of them all, Wal-Mart. It’s a fight that goes all the way up into Canada where United Food and Commercial Workers in Sasketchewan have been demonstrating for union rights. Marty talks with Paul Meinema, president of UFCW local 1400, and the organizer of today’s conference, Kent Wong from the UCLA Labor Center.THE WEEK'S BIG STORY: It was a lazy spring afternoon when Vanity Fair editors announced the contents of their new issue: an exclusive article by John D O’Conner. It wasn’t the first time someone claimed to know the identity of Deep Throat. But this time, something was different. First, O’Conner talked to the man himself – 91 year old W. Mark Felt. Then, other media outlets started to get confirmation and eventually Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein and Ben Bradlee fessed up. For most of us, this is how the week’s – hell, the year’s – biggest story played out. But imagine if you’re the wife of Ben Bradlee and – like the rest of the country - didn’t know the identity of Deep Throat until this week. Marty talks to Washington Post reporter Sally Quinn. Plus, could Watergate ever happen again? Hear Marty's November 2004 interview with secret keeper Ben Bradlee.THE "I" WORD: Deep inside the biggest story of the week was a message largely left behind. Could a Watergate-sized scandal help impeach President Bush? And will the damaging Downing Street Memo be at the center of that effort? While Pat Buchanan is busy blaming Mark Felt for the deaths of millions of Cambodians, more and more regular Americans blame Bush’s lies about WMDs for the deaths of U-S soldiers and thousands of civilian children. Now, that rage could turn into real action thanks to two new grassroots efforts. Here to catch us up is our political insider, Nation columnist John Nichols.EUROPE'S CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS: French voters fried up the new EU constitution this week.. while the Dutch dipped it in a big ole bowl of mayonnaise. OK, so not even a Pulp Fiction reference could make this story interesting enough for most Americans, but what if we told you that it could be good for your bank account? The Euro took a big hit after this week’s votes, just in time for that summer vacation abroad. And EU leaders predict the overvalued currency will continue to slide until the continent figures out what to do with its Constitutional crisis. Gerry Ryan is Ireland’s top rated talk show host and closely follows the progress of the “United States of Europe.”THE WAL-MART REALITY SHOW: There’s nothing like taking the respectable world of higher education and boiling it down into a network reality show sponsored by Wal-Mart. The hunt for college scholarships is stressful enough for parents and their kids, but imagine if you had the constant glare of TV cameras and the thought that if you don’t win, you might end up working for the program’s sponsor. It’s a new ABC show called The Scholar and our TV insider Melanie McFarland has this preview.OK GO: OK Go lead singer Damian Kulash literally wrote the guide on how to be a political band. Now, OK Go is getting ready to release its new album "Oh No." In this premiere episode of a special summer-long series, Damian and bass player Tim Nordwind take us behind the scenes and interview their choreographer.QUIZ WIZARD: This week, special guest Paul Green, star of the documentary "Rock School," takes the quiz.

Are you visiting BuzzFlash? There are no fees (though you can make a donation or buy a premium), no sign up forms, no selling of your information to spammers . . . There are links to important stories and strong original content.

Some day, I will figure out how to add BuzzFlash headlines here. But each month when I think, "Next month" everything goes nuts yet again (not unlike this week with two last minute trips).

I'll also note that Shirley Smith's piece above was almost linked to this morning but time ran out and I had to postpone that. However, Brenda had e-mailed to highlight that.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Dahr Jamail's latest is an article in Asia Times that you can read at his blog as well. WARNING: Those who've relied on Dexter Filkins reporting on Falluja in the New York Times may want to sit down because your whole world may shatter. Here's an excerpt from the opening:

"The failed siege of Fallujah"After two devastating sieges of Fallujah in April and November of 2004, which left thousands of Iraqis dead and hundreds of thousands without homes, the aftermath of the US attempt to rid the city of resistance fighters in an effort to improve security in the country continues to plague the residents of Fallujah, and Iraq as a whole.Simmering anger grows with time among Fallujans who, after having most of their city destroyed by the US military onslaught, have seen promises of rebuilding by both the US military and Iraqi government remain mostly unfulfilled."There are daily war crimes being committed in Fallujah, even now," said Mohammed Abdulla, the executive director of the Study Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Fallujah (SCHRDF). His organization works within the destruction of Fallujah, trying to monitor the plight of residents, bring them reconstruction aid, and document the war crimes and illegal weapons that were used during the November siege."Now we have none of the rebuilding which was promised, which people need so desperately in order to get their lives back in order," said Abdulla during a recent interview with Asia Times Online in Amman.Doctors working inside the city continue to complain of US and Iraqi security forces impeding their medical care. Along with the continuance of strict US military checkpoints, residents in the city say the treatment they receive from both the US military and Iraqi security forces operating inside Fallujah is both degrading and humiliating. This treatment is also being perceived by most as intentional."The checkpoints are too obstructive," said Dr Amer Ani, who volunteers at Fallujah General Hospital. "Fighting has resumed inside the city, because in the last two weeks there have been man-to-man clashes in different districts of the city. This has caused ambulances to have difficulty entering and exiting the city, especially the main hospital."I work in the refugee camp on the border, and because of the checkpoint on the outskirts of the city, no patients from that camp can enter the city," said Ani. "Thus, they are forced to go to another clinic 14 kilometers from them, whereas the closest treatment in the city is less than one kilometer from them."Ani went on to add that the main hospital and several primary health clinics in the city need rebuilding, but the building materials are being prevented from entering by US forces.Dr Riyad al-Obeidy, who works in Ramadi, is also currently volunteering inside Fallujah. "Previously, the Ministry of Health was delivering aid into the city, but now this is prohibited, for unknown reasons," he said. "Thus, now there are shortages of external fixators, surgical sets for operations, and trauma equipment. There is really a humanitarian health problem. People are living as refugees inside their city, living in tents - so we have lack of clean water and hygiene, so there is rampant spreading of typhoid. With summer coming, this will all get worse."

As my Appendix shows, the quality of Felt's information -- at least as reported so far and what is found in All The President's Men -- is of questionable value, given the amount of misinformation. It seems it was Felt's position alone that gave Woodward, and in turn, Woodward's editor at The Washington Post, Ben Bradlee, confidence in pursuing a story that other news organizations initially largely ignored. (Initially, Bradlee only knew Woodward had a source who was a high official in the Department of Justice - and Bradlee did not learn more until after Nixon had resigned).To me, a true hero of Watergate is Ben Bradlee, who not only supported Woodward and Bernstein, but had the trust of the Post's owner, Katharine Graham. Initially, the rest of the national media and the nation ignored the story. Although The Washington Post never "cracked the case," their keeping the story in the news within the Beltway had a great influence on the Congress, making it an important story. Had Bradlee not done so, history might have been much different.We still need to know much more about Mark Felt's activities, not to mention his accomplices, to understand the Byzantine workings of the FBI of that era. I hope Bob Woodward will answer these questions -- about which he has knowledge -- sooner rather than later, while there is still interest in the story. For it is information that is as uniquely relevant today -- with the current White House hell-bent on returning the presidency to the imperial status it occupied before Watergate.

Carl sent it in noting that Dean has a few areas of concern regarding the Felt's matter. (Regarding the nature of Felt's actions at the FBI and regarding the issue of whether or not Deep Throat could be a single person and, if so, Felt.) Remember that John Dean will be on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday.

This weekend on Air America (from their homepage and all air times are eastern air times):

So What Else Is News?- Saturday 3pm-5pm with host Marty KaplanThe Wives of Watergate. Washington Post reporter Sally Quinn, wife of Post editor Ben Bradlee, tells Marty Kaplan what the wives did and didn't know about the identity of Deep Throat. Plus, the rock band OK Go tries to overcome the "sophomore slump," one year after literally writing the book on how to be a political band.

Ring of Fire- Saturday 5pm-7pm w/ Mike Papantonio & Robert Kennedy, JrMike Papantonio talks with Mike Elsner of the Motley-Rice law firm about the Bush administration's attempts to block a lawsuit against a U.S.-based Saudi bank, which allegedly financed suicide bombers in Israel. Then, Bobby Kennedy talks with James Howard Kunstler, author of"The Long Emergency," about what happens when the oil runs out.The "good" terrorist: Will the Bush Justice Department prosecute or protect Republican ally and anti-Castro terrorist Luis Posada Carriles? Mike discusses with Peter Kornbluh, author of "The Posada File."

Ecotalk - Sunday 7am-8am with host Betsy RosenbergBetsy gives first hand accounts and interviews directly from the The United Nations World Environment Day in San Francisco. She covers as many of the 300 events as possible, including a private dinner with Al Gore. Plus, insider sources say the US EPA is on order from high to not participate in/attend the historic summit. Betsy discusses.

Liberal Arts- Sunday 1pm-2pm with host Katherine Lanpher Guests for this special one-hour special program include author Jonathan Lethem, stage star, playwright and novelist Eric Bogosian, and musician Willie Nile. The show was taped in front of a live audience at the Housing Works Books Cafe in Soho, New York City.

On The Real- Sunday 11pm-1am with Chuck D and Gia GarelDavid Zirin's columns are a unique fusion of sports writing and socio-political observation. Chuck D and Gia Garel talk to him about his views and his new book "What's my Name Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States."

I'll try to post this again Saturday morning. Liberal Arts is a show I'm unaware of. (I've only been able to listen to Mike Malloy and The Majority Report this week, plus Rachel Maddow's show Friday.

In some areas it's Saturday already. In others, it's still Friday. But if you were planning to vote on the panel's proposal, members need to e-mail to request a ballot. I believe that most have e-mailed already. I'll do one more announcement on this to make up for the belated one today.Again, I had to travel today and it was unexpected. (And yes, the mid-day post was hurried through on my part as Carl noticed in an e-mail.)

Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press, the full hour is devoted to Ken Mehlman, Chairman, Republican National CommitteeBush-Cheney '04 Campaign Manager. Run, run like hell.

(Due to the French Open, Meet the Press may not air at the usual time in some areas. You can check air times for your area by clicking here.)

ABC's This Week:

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. Ranking Democrat, Senate Foreign Relations CommitteeBen Bradlee Former Executive Editor, The Washington PostBryan AdamsMusician and photographer, "American Women""Then Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts join George Will for a classic This Week roundtable. Among the topics for discussion, the revelation of Deep Throat's identity, and this week's reversal for the proposed European Union constitution, which was rejected by both French and Dutch citizens against the wishes of their political leaders. Has European integration hit a roadblock?"

Old and boring passes for "classic" apparently. Or maybe This Week believes that, like a Chanel suit, gasbags never truly go out of style? Jerry Lewis? Indy drivers? Now Bryan Adams? Not afraid to flaunt the useless factor, This Week is shaping up to be the broadcast train wreck of the summer.

CBS's Face the Nation has the following lineup:

Ben BradleeThe Washington PostJohn DeanFormer Nixon White House CounselJames MannAuthor, Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet

Note, I usually say, "If I had to watch . . ." I'm not adding that qualifier. Face the Nation with Dean as a guest should make for an interesting half hour. (James Mann should also make for an interesting guest.)

(Note: My apologies for the lack of posts. I had to travel and it was unexpected. I did dictate a piece to a friend over the phone that would have gone up several hours ago. I'm holding that, an editorial, for tomorrow since some members have voiced the opinion that Saturday nights suffer from the time I spend assisting The Third Estate Sunday Review. You may or may not agree with it but it will be something to read. I dictated it over the phone from the airport and told my friend not to add links. I'm not going to add links to it, or change anything in it, when it posts tomorrow. I am at a computer now and we will have a few more posts.)

It is being called the highest profile assassination in Lebanon since the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Journalist Samir Qasir died after his car exploded. Now, calls are increasing for the country's president to step down. We'll speak for a colleague of Qasir's, Hisham Melhem, correspondent for an Nahar newspaper. [includes rush transcript]

Rebellion is in the air in Latin America's poorest country, Bolivia. For weeks, indigenous-led protests have rocked the country and have brought the government to a near shutdown. The protests began as demonstrations calling for nationalization of the country's natural gas resources but that was just the spark for a much bigger war; a war over the rights of the country's majority indigenous population. We go to Cochabamba for a report from human rights activist Jim Shultz of the Democracy Center. [includes rush transcript]

We are joined in our studio by one of Latin America's most famed dissident artists, Brazilian Augusto Boal. He reflects back on his life in exile and his use of theater as a tool of resistance. [includes rush transcript - partial]

At The Daily Howler, Bob Somerby's running down a number of issues including his continued discussion of "fiery liberals." He promises a Saturday Howler on Okrent, so look for that. Here's an excerpt from today'sHowler:

But then, O'Donnell is typical of the high class which now runs the press corps in Washington. By the fall of 1998, they were in head-long pursuit of Vile Clinton, as Sally Quinn incomparably described in a lengthy report in the Post. Quinn's report returned to the news this week because of John Harris new book about Clinton; indeed, Atrios reprinted her full 11/2/98 piece (to read it, just click here.) For ourselves, we'll strongly disagree with those who trash Quinn for writing this seminal report; in our view, this was one of the most important journalist works of the 1990s. With perfect accuracy, in full detail, Quinn reported the outrage of the foppish elite which powders its nose at high Washington parties. But early on, she made it clear--these people werent like thee and thine:

QUINN (11/2/98): With some exceptions, the Washington Establishment is outraged by the president's behavior in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The polls show that a majority of Americans do not share that outrage. Around the nation, people are disgusted but want to move on; in Washington, despite Clinton's gains with the budget and the Mideast peace talks, people want some formal acknowledgment that the president's behavior has been unacceptable. They want this, they say, not just for the sake of the community, but for the sake of the country and the presidency as well.

In addition to the polls and surveys, this disconnect between the Washington Establishment and the rest of the country is evident on TV and radio talk shows and in interviews and conversations with more than 100 Washingtonians for this article. The din about the scandal has subsided in the news as politicians and journalists fan out across the country before tomorrow's elections. But in Washington, interest remains high. The reasons are varied, and they intertwine.

At THE HOWLER, we say it loud and proud: Thank God for Quinn's essential piece, a brilliant portrait of the age! In great detail, Quinn recorded the way the Washington High Foppist Class had its knickers knotted over Clinton. As of late 1998, were opinion leaders of the Washington press corps actually driven by that famed "liberal bias?" Only a fool could sustain the claim after reading this detailed report. Four months later, by the way, Candidate Gore began to campaign--and this gang of Capitol Fops landed on him like a big ton of bricks, inventing a string of phony misstatements and mocking his make-up, his clothing, his demeanor and his manner, as a fiery "TV liberal" would still be doing some nineteen months after that. The Drums don't like to bring this up, and they clearly don't like to name High Names. But Quinn's report makes something quite clear--the Washington press corps opinion leaders are not a bunch of fiery liberals. Neither, of course, are most "TV liberals." Neither was simpering, dissembling O'Donnell on that fateful and memorable day.

Somerby's noted the 1998 piece by Quinn, and we'll note here that that Quinn's distaste

goes far back and there was never a honeymoon period for the Clintons. I can remember during the inauguration festivities (Jan. 1993), a piece Sally Quinn contributed to Newsweek "advising" Hillary on how to conduct herself being the topic of intense discussions and debates. The tone was dismissive and condescending from the start.

Two weeks before the presidential election of 2004, The Washington Post ran an article titled "Some Fear Ohio Will Be Florida." "Florida" has become shorthand for the illegal purging of tens of thousands of largely Democratic African American voters by Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris, and that state's Republican machine just before the election of 2000.

"We cannot forget what happened in Florida," the Post quoted Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.), as saying about the stories in the news that were already emerging about massive Republican voter disenfranchisement efforts in Ohio. "And," Lewis added, "it will not happen here."

Lewis was wrong. It did happen in Ohio. George Bush Junior stole another election.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee refused to participate in any sort of investigation of voting irregularities in Ohio, so the Committee's ranking Democrat, John Conyers, went to Ohio with 11 other Democratic members to convene a hearing and take testimony under oath. What he found was startling.

"We have found numerous serious election irregularities in the Ohio presidential election," the Committee wrote in their official report, "which resulted in a significant disenfranchisement of voters. Cumulatively, these irregularities, which affected hundreds of thousands of voters and votes in Ohio, raise grave doubts about whether it can be said that the Ohio electors selected on December 13, 2004, were chosen in a manner conforming to Ohio law, let alone Federal election commission and constitutional standards."

Two from Matthew Rothschild (sent in by Gina and Lloyd). (Rothschild is the editor of The Progressive.)

They rejected the European constitution not because of the residues of primitive nationalism or the recrudescence of provincialism.

No, they've been among the leaders in the move beyond nationalism and toward European integration.

But it's the nature of that integration they soundly rejected.

And the defining characteristic of this integration is the worship of the free market.

For the last 13 years, the European Union has been governed by the Maastricht Treaty, which imposed a monetarist policy on every country and required crude cutbacks in the public sector. This led to "business failures, transfer of industries abroad, cutbacks in social services, reduced purchasing power, and mass unemployment," as Diana Johnstone has noted in an article posted on Counterpunch.

And if you're able to, visit The Progressive because they're testing the new look for their site.

Four years after scores of rescue workers were injured in the smoldering wreckage of the World Trade Center, the federal government plans to rescind $125 million that was allocated to help them, and many of those who requested compensation are finding their claims being disputed at 10 times the rate that typical workers face.The money, included in a $20 billion aid package the federal government gave to New York in late 2001, was part of $175 million that was earmarked for the state's workers' compensation program. So far, only $50 million of the part set aside for trade center workers has been spent, and a provision in the Bush administration's budget for fiscal 2006 would reclaim the remaining $125 million.But yesterday, lawmakers called on the White House to withdraw its proposal, saying the money was still badly needed by ground zero workers who are fighting for lost wages and facing the prospect of long-term health problems that doctors are only beginning to understand.

After more than eight months of investigation, state secrets and fraud cases against a Chinese researcher for The New York Times have been turned over to prosecutors for indictment, Chinese authorities said yesterday.This important legal step suggests that the authorities plan to bring the researcher, Zhao Yan, to trial in the coming months despite protests by international rights groups, which say he is being punished for his journalism, and an appeal for his release by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.The formal referral of charges to prosecutors occurred on May 20 but was only revealed yesterday, by a Foreign Ministry spokesman at a regularly scheduled briefing. In China, indictment and conviction generally follow such a referral, though the prosecutors still have discretion over whether to try Mr. Zhao and on what charges.

Two American soldiers who said that high-ranking officers authorized them to use dogs to intimidate Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison were charged yesterday with abuse. They are the latest to face courts-martial in the scandal.

Note: The above is from a three paragraph brief is credited as "by The New York Times."

Flora Muchave's cautionary tale is nothing new; Africa claims the world's highest adolescent birthrate and the world's lowest share of girls enrolled in primary school.But for the last 25 years, the trends had been positive. African girls, like girls elsewhere, were marrying later, and a growing percentage were in school.The AIDS epidemic now threatens to take away those hard-won gains. Orphaned and impoverished by the deaths of parents, girls here are being propelled into sex at shockingly early ages to support themselves, their siblings and, all too often, their own children.

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that during the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting here, the police may have erred by keeping some protesters out of a restricted zone based on their beliefs.The three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found, however, that the city had the right to block off part of downtown Seattle after about 50,000 protesters swarmed the area.

Larry picks the quote of the week. It comes from Todd S. Purdum's "Three Decades Later, 'Woodstein' Takes a Victory Lap." In the overview of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's careers (which fails to mention a very important piece Bernstein did for Rolling Stone in the seventies -- but then the Times wasn't big on the story in real time), Robert Redford is given the last word. Here's Larry's pick for the quote of the week:

"I'm personally sad, because I feel I stumbled into a high point of journalism and had to watch it slide away when suddenly glamour became the main attraction of getting into journalism. It became a very sad thing for me to watch. I'm glad the real meaning has come back, at least for a day."

Rachel Rogers, a single mother of four in upstate New York, did not worry about the presence of National Guard recruiters at her son's high school until she learned that they taught students how to throw hand grenades, using baseballs as stand-ins. For the last month she has been insisting that administrators limit recruiters' access to children. Orlando Terrazas, a former truck driver in Southern California, said he was struck when his son told him that recruiters were promising students jobs as musicians. Mr. Terrazas has been trying since September to hang posters at his son's public school to counter the military's message. Meanwhile, Amy Hagopian, co-chairwoman of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association at Garfield High School in Seattle, has been fighting against a four-year-old federal law that requires public schools to give military recruiters the same access to students as college recruiters get, or lose federal funding. She also recently took a few hours off work to stand beside recruiters at Garfield High and display pictures of injured American soldiers from Iraq. "We want to show the military that they are not welcome by the P.T.S.A. in this building," she said. "We hope other P.T.S.A.'s will follow."Two years into the war in Iraq, as the Army and Marines struggle to refill their ranks, parents have become boulders of opposition that recruiters cannot move.

Then Liz Sweet got her turn. Accompanied by a military honor guard, she helped lay a wreath honoring soldiers killed in Iraq, including her 23-year-old son, T. J. His photograph hung below the wreath on a ribbon Mrs. Sweet had fashioned in red, white and blue, a rare public tribute to a soldier who took his own life.Although military officials were not asked for approval, Mrs. Sweet and a veterans' advocate wanted to recognize the sacrifice of soldiers who committed suicide.For their families, the loss can be especially excruciating. "Not only did your child go off to a combat zone," Mrs. Sweet said. "Not only did your child lose his life. But something happened that you will never, ever understand."

Thursday, June 02, 2005

For the first time in a decade, the Army and Marine Corps are missing their monthly recruiting goals as the number of flag-draped coffins shamefully shipped back in secret from Iraq approaches 1,700.The good news is that more young people are starting to question America's foreign policy by refusing to enlist. But the bad news is that fewer volunteers increase the chances of a draft. This is the first protracted war in modern times where the United States hasn't employed selective service.As I sat down at the computer to look up Anti-Flag, the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young anti-war anthem "Four Dead in Ohio" (memorializing the May 4, 1970, massacre at Kent State University) streamed through my mind.Are we heading down this horrible road again, where tin soldiers gun down American students protesting an endless war?In the middle of Anti-Flag's home page was another link to www.militaryfreezone.org. I kept on clicking, and soon confirmed my son's disturbing information that the nation's high schools have become ground zero in the armed forces' determined effort to make sure no child is left untouched by the long arm of Uncle Sam.The more I learned, the more I wondered why I hadn't heard about this before. Why hasn't the militarization of public schools been prominently reported in the media? How can the military be allowed to use high-pressure telemarketing campaigns on the youth of our nation without parental permission?

If you're keeping score, the number of North Carolina's members of Congress who've supported any of the various "get out of Iraq" initiatives floating around in Washington is now up to five. And two of the five are Republicans! It's true. When Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) offered an amendment to the defense spending bill last week that would have called on President Bush to submit a plan to Congress for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, it lost by 300-128. That sounds bad, but 128 is up from the previous number of 32, which is how many co-sponsors Woolsey had for an identically worded resolution she introduced in January.And whereas only Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte, who heads the Congressional Black Caucus, was with her from the N.C. delegation before, now Reps. David Price of Chapel Hill and Brad Miller of Raleigh, both Democrats, have joined up on the pro-withdrawal-plan side. This is news: When the Independent canvassed them at the time of the anti-war rally in Fayetteville two months ago, neither Price nor Miller thought it appropriate to demand a plan for getting out of Iraq. Now, both do.

Durham Gal notes "This is news. Ever since I read the article on Ruth in The Third Estate Sunday Review, I've been watching and I think she's right about the shift that's going on. Tell Ruth, I'm seeing what she was talking about all around me in my day to day life."

Peace activists protest militarism on Memorial Day at the Bolder Boulder run. Counter-protesters, police, and more. "Free speech" at the event was restricted to corporate sponsors and applause for the flag. Citizens from the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center attempted to hold a banner declaring their opposition to the war in Iraq at Folsom Stadium during the Bolder Boulder. They were in no way interfering or blocking anyone's view, as they stood at the very back of the stadium. The citizens believe that they have a constitutionally guaranteed right of free speech onpublic university property.The citizens first put up a banner which read "End the Occupation of Iraq Now". Bolder Boulder security and police from the Sheriff's department twisted the banner so that it couldn't be read and proceeded to confiscate it, using pain holds on one 58-year old Boulder citizen, Ellen Stark. When the citizens put up a second banner which said "Protect Free Speech", security again twisted the banner and confiscated it.The three women, Ellen Stark, 58, Carolyn Bninski, 55, and Joanne Cowan, 55, were then escorted out of the stadium and issued a summons to appear in Court on August 3. They were charged with illegal conduct on public property.Another group of citizens stood in a line withT-Shirts that read "Troops Home Now". They were allowed to stand and were not bothered by the security. [see photos].The contract between the University and the Bolder Boulder that was provided to the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center did not appear to include any rental fee to the Bolder Boulder for the use of the stadium.The citizens chose to stand in the stadium as a counterpoint to the Bolder Boulder's celebration of Memorial Day which, rather than a mourning and remembrance of those who have died in war, highlighted current young members of the military as they did pushups after finishing the race. Bolder Boulder's celebration also includes a 21-gun salute and Air Force jet fly overs, all of which appears to glorify the current administration's policies of pre-emptive war.Joanne Cowan said of her participation: "The ongoing conflict in Iraq will be cut short by the willingness of people to speak out against the policies of our government. I am hoping that more people will act in such a way as to acknowledge the war and the killing of innocent people. U.S. soldiers are being attacked because Iraqis want to run their own country. The United States is an occupier in Iraq."Ellen Stark said: "In these extremely conservative times, when rights of speech are being curtailed, it is extremely important for the university to stand firm in protection of free speech rights to dissent from the government."Carolyn Bninski said: "The Bolder Boulder is open to the public, it is on public property, and, as a public institution, the university should allow banners which express divergent views on the war on Iraq. Thomas Jefferson once said "dissent is the highest form of patriotism." I believe that by openly expressing dissent to the war, we are doing a service to our country and to the families who are losing their relatives in this illegal and immoral war and occupation."

The decisive NON to the EU Constitution in the French referendum is the first step towards a new direction for Europe. The ordinary people of France have voted NON to the privatisation of public services, to the profit motive of the market dominating all aspects of life, and to further centralisation of decision-making in the hands of the EU elite. They have rejected a European Constitution that enshrines competition above solidarity - a Constitution that makes people in work compete for their jobs and wages against the unemployed and makes the poor compete against the very poor for scarce resources.The French NON is a demand for a different Europe to the free-market politics of the EU Constitution -which would set in stone the same neo-liberal policies being imposed by the French government, and supported by many other European governments and the European Commission. This NON is a setback for neo-liberal politics throughout the EU. It is the first step towards an alternative direction for Europe, where the needs of ordinary people come first.The leaders of other European countries and the European Commission must accept the French vote. There must be no campaign for a re-run of the French referendum and no anti-democratic back-room deals. The EU Constitution cannot now come into force and must be abandoned.

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.